Hair and now!

Rapunzels rejoice, mane matters are long and winding this season with styles as varied as the stylists' snips! While the classic beauty of long hair remains  undisputable, wearing them in the style of the moment or one that suits you, ensures you remain a cut above the rest.

Layers of good looks

There is nothing new about the layered look, but now you have a mindboggling array of choices in this style to ensure everyone around doesn't look like mannequins out of an assembly line.

"Layers and steps are back. People are in an experimental mood, which gives us a lot of room to maneuver," says hairstylist Harish Bhatia of the Big Boss salon at Borivalli, who also runs his Harish Big Boss Hair and Beauty Institute.

Sliding layers, air fly, square layers, round layers and savage cut are just some of the names to look out for while making the next appointment with your stylist.

Layering is especially good for fine, straight hair say stylists. It makes for a fuller, bouncier look, as the cut creates an illusion of volume. However, the style is not for those who prefer to stick to their plain Jane or classic long locks looks, for the edge in layers makes for a more sophisticated, glamourous fashion appeal.

Curl it up

In fact, straight seems to be plain boring, people are increasingly making a grab for their rollers as curls make a comeback. "Straight hair is on its way out," says Savio Periera of Magic Salon outlets at Bandra and Juhu. "People are going in for a lot of soft waves and curls. There is a lot of movement in the hair now," he adds.

Crop cool

However, even as more women connect to their feminine, softer side this season, bobs are not being ruled out either. While Periera roots for the eternal appeal of a classic bob, Agnes Chen of Butterfly Pond in Colaba begs to differ. "Bobs are in, but variations of it like the asymmetrical one, curly haired bob, textured bobs, not the classic one," she says.

While Chen maintains length is also in, she points to leading ladies on the ramp like Bipasha Basu, and Jesse Randhawa, who can be increasingly spotted sporting shorter lengths.

Bang on

While on Bollywood and fashion, the late Parveen Babi is a reference point for bangs.

"Bangs are all the rage now – classic, solid, asymmetrical, you name it! Even the Parveen Babi type side locks are in," says Chen.

In fact, a toss of bangs that fall anywhere between the forehead to the chin, sometimes blacking out one whole eye, is a sure shot at being a headturner this season.

"Short bangs are very popular these days, which are a little longer than what Jassi used to flaunt," says Bhatia of Big Boss. "Bangs can start as a triangle from the forehead and fall a little on the side, sometimes right down to the cheekbone, whereupon they are snipped off, blocking one eye," he details.

Darsheel drool

If women are making a dash for it, men are spiking it up too, a la Tare Zameen Par. Mohawks are in once more, both for men and well, little young men. "We cut the hair in such a way that the middle portion keeps standing.

If the hair is slightly long, the style is easy to maintain. But even if one is sporting short hair, just a little gel helps achieve this look with ease.

Ever since the Aamir Khan starrer, lots of men, especially young kids have been queuing up to get spikes," says Bhatia.

Peacock palette

The palette reflects the whacky mood as well. Gone are the days when highlights were restricted to a few measly shades of brown. Red, gold, copper and even ash, and their combinations are being sported without batting an eyelid (whatever is visible of it!). "Red is all the rage now in hair colours. Gold and copper are also hot as many like to experiment with the blonde look now.

As for highlights, chunk or combination colours allow you give the peacock a run for its plume!" laughs Hitesh Parekh, senior colour technician with Streax Hair Colour and hairstylist with Head Turner salon in Andheri.

Wash 'n' wear

Whacky or no-nonsense, comfort is the buzzword in hairstyles for the Mumbaiite on the go. "People don't have the time to blow dry and invest precious minutes setting the hair in the morning. Clients demand a wash and wear style, something that is easy to maintain on a day-to-day basis," says Periera of Magic Salon. "Therefore, the look is messy, a style that doesn't look out of place even after a gruelling ride in the train," he adds.

So, a bad hair day cannot be an excuse anymore!